Occidental Subsidiary Reports Oil Spill in Oklahoma

A subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY) on Wednesday reported an oil spill from a pipeline in Cushing, Oklahoma.

Eric Moses, a spokesman for Houston-based Oxy subsidiary Centurion Pipeline, said the incident happened Tuesday when a crude oil pipeline was struck by a third-party contractor that was doing excavation activities for another pipeline operator. Mr. Moses didn't provide an estimate of the amount of oil released, noting the company doesn't typically provide that information.

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"Centurion contained the release, notified the appropriate authorities and is assisting with cleanup activities," he said. "Repairs to the line are expected to be completed today (Wednesday)."

Mr. Moses said Centurion is working with other parties involved to determine the cause of the incident in order to take appropriate measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. "We are committed to safeguarding the environment and protecting the safety and health of our employees and neighboring communities," he said.

According to Centurion's website, the company operates some 2,900 miles of pipelines extending from southeast New Mexico across the Permian Basin of west Texas, to Cushing. The system has a throughput capacity of about 720,000 barrels a day, it said.